


Home

by anchor_bird_94



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-03-20 16:57:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18996751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anchor_bird_94/pseuds/anchor_bird_94
Summary: Jughead Jones is looking for a little life direction, when he walks into La Bonne Nuit he may just find that and more.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written anything before in my life. Hope y'all like it!

Jughead sauntered into the smoke filled club, mentally asking himself once again why he was even at a place like this. He was a simple man, a bit of a loner, the type of person you would normally find sitting at a corner table in a quite coffee shop, reading or typing away on his laptop.

Life however had thrown him a bit of a curve ball today. After moving to New York from the small town of Riverdale almost a year ago. He had found the adjustment quite easy considering all the warnings his father had given him about the differences between living in the big city instead of the small sleepy town that he had grown up in and until then had never ventured out of. 

Which if he was being honest was exactly the reason he felt the need to leave. He needed a change of scenery. Some place where he could try to live out the adventures that in the past he had only ever written about. 

He loved riverdale, it was his home but he found that he loved New York in a very different way. Yeah, it was dirty and loud but it was also full of life and right off the bat had given him so many new things to write about.

It seemed that the city liked Jughead to. He had found it fairly easy to find a small studio apartment that he could afford to live in with the money he had saved from all those summers working at Pop's Chocolate Shop. When he wasn't working, you could find him in a booth churning out a few pages while chowing down on a burger and fries. Oh and who could forget about the milkshakes. They were something sent straight down from the heavens.

He hadn't found himself a place like that here yet. Somewhere that made him feel completely comfortable, safe. A home away from home of sorts, but he figured when the time was right, he would. 

Jughead didn't have a lot of friends in Riverdale. Many would say Pop Tate, the gentlemen who owned and ran the diner was his only friend and they weren't necessarily wrong. Jughead was just a very private person and liked to keep to himself.

He was lucky enough to have found a job at a mom and pop journal across the way from his apartment. They published articles in a small section of a paper that rivalled the New York Times. He wrote mainly puff pieces and then on most nights went home and continued writing his book. A book he had been working on for what seemed like a lifetime and that he had finally about two weeks ago felt was good enough to call complete. 

Despite his nervousness to have his heart and sole be bare for the world to see he had sent it into a publishing company and was now waiting rather impatiently to hear back from them. 

He knew it could take a while for these things but he also, now more then ever wanted to hear something. Considering that he had just lost his job after being told only this morning that the journel was closing up shop having lost there contract with the paper due to unforeseen budget cuts. 

He knew that print journalism was a dying breed what with all the electronic ways to get your news and read these days but still it was a bit of a shock. 

He had spent the remainder of his day going over his budget and realizing he had almost no savings left and he needed to find something quickly.

As it had gotten later into the evening Jughead had decided he needed to get out of the apartment and out of his own head. He grabbed his coat and headed out into the brisk September air to go for a walk in hopes of clearing his mind. 

After about fifteen minutes he found himself a few blocks from his apartment, still just as stressed and staring at the entrance to a bar. The bright neon sign hanging above it read La Bonne Nuit. The place seemed more his father's style then his but he figured one drink couldn't hurt. The alcohol might even help him get out of his head enough to come up with the plan he desperately needed.

Which Is how he found himself seated at the bar in his boots, dark blue jeans, grey shirt, plaid jacket and signature beanie. The bar tender was kindly waiting for his order.

Jughead ordered himself a beer and began scouting the place out. It was packed pretty tight with mostly men and the occasional woman that looked like they were from all walks of life.

They were scattered around. Some sitting at tables, some standing in small groups. All of them mingling and seemingly waiting for something.

The thing he found most intriguing though was the decently sized stage directly across from the bar. The stage housed a few poles he assumed were used for dancing and a top to bottom red curtain.

When the bartender came back with his beer jughead couldn't help but ask what the stage was used for.  
“You'll have to wait and see, it shouldn't be long now" the man whose name tag read Kevin responded with a subtle wink.

Jughead found himself intrigued. He had to admit the only other bar he had ever been in was the small one on the southside of Riverdale and they certainly did not have a stage.

The bar known as the Whyte Worm was the place that in high school he was more then likely to find his father most nights, that is until he sobered up after wrecking his station wagon for the third time. This time driving it straight into a trailer where a family of four lived. Thankfully no one was hurt but his father Forsythe Pendleton Jones Jr., known by his friends as FP, looked directly into the eyes of the children he had almost hit and then promptly spent several nights in jail not for the first time but for what he hoped was the last. 

Jughead supposes that was his fathers rock bottom. FP Jones was now three years sober and Jughead couldn't have been more proud of his father.

It was a few minutes later when the lights to the club had started to dim and the stage became illuminated that Jughead took another swig of his beer and watched as the curtain was drawn back to reveal the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. 

She was barefoot and wore a spaghetti strap silk white gown that stopped just above her knees and her gorgeous blond tresses flowed effortless around her face which was adorned with the slightest bit of makeup and light pink lip gloss. 

She danced effortless across the stage. Followed by three women who were also beautiful in there own right. All three of which were barefoot as well and wearing similar gowns. The red head on her left wore a red silk gown and dark red lipstick. Another woman with jet black hair wore a corresponding black gown and to the far right of the woman that Jughead couldn't keep his eyes off of was a considerably shorter woman who wore a light purple gown to match the highlights in her hair. 

The song heard over the loud speaker was one popular for this time. Upbeat and sensual.

The women timed there movements perfectly to the music and he could not be bothered to look away. Jughead wasn't certain but it seemed as if though the dazzling blond stared in his direction, meeting his gaze and promptly sending a chill of desire throughout his entire body. 

Jughead was suddenly greatful he had walked into this club. All his worries seemed to fall away for the time being as he watched the show before him. 

Twenty or so minutes later the show seemed to be coming to an end. The women had danced to several different songs, losing there gowns throughout the second, revealing lingerie of similar colors. 

The poles on either end of the stage had been used to heat up the performance. Jughead had almost fallen off his stool when the blonde had wrapped one of her long legs around the pole. Webbing herself around it for the first but not the only time that night. He didn't know what was happening but he had never been so effected by the sight of a woman before. He needed to know her name.

When the last song ended. The women took there bows as the crowd erupted in applause with a few hollers thrown in the mix. All four women then gracefully ran off the stage. They blew kisses out to the crowd as they went.

Jughead turned towards the bar realizing he had forgotten all about his beer that was now luke warm. He motioned for a fresh one and Kevin arrived rather quickly with the drink in hand eager to know how he enjoyed the show. 

“It was fantastic” Jughead responded with a slight smile on his face. “The blond...” he paused not knowing exactly how to ask what he wanted to know.

“Betty" Kevin interrupted with a knowing smile, saving Jughead from his own awkwardness.  
“she was great" Jughead added.

“Yeah, she's a favorite around here and my best friend. I wouldn't have this job if it wasn't for her" Kevin spoke of Betty with admiration.

Kevin stopped talking and rushed to tend to a customer at the other end of the bar. Jughead wanted so badly to hear more about the beautiful blond that seemed to be all he could thing about. He sipped from his newly replaced beer and supposed he would just have to stick around a little longer.

\--  
Betty tried to catch her breath as she entered the back stage area and sat at her vanity. She was all smiles as the other girls expressed how pleased they were with how the performance had gone tonight.

She was just as thrilled, however she was also slightly distracted thinking about a certain customer at the bar who she has never seen before and whose intense stair and endearing smile kept her attention throughout the entirety of tonight's show. 

She was used to men staring at her with a certain unreciprocatracted desire. It was a part of the job. After two years, she had gotten used to it. This was different. She didn't mind the intensity of this mystery mans stare. In fact she wanted him to become less of a mystery.

A little while later Betty walked out onto the club floor having touched up the little bit of makeup she had on, dressing back into her silk gown and adding a pair of heels to the ensemble. 

She looked around for a moment and spotted the man that she could admit was extremely attractive. He was still in his seat at the bar and Betty was unashamed of how quickly she made her way over to him.  
Betty was surprised to find an empty stool beside him. She greeted her old friend Kevin, leaning over the bar slightly to receive a kiss on either cheek. She then settled back into the stool.

“You were wonderful tonight Betty, as always.” Kevin said as he set her usual vodka cranberry on the bar beside her.

As she thanked Kevin she couldn't help but noticed out of the corner of her eye that the mystery man was watching there interaction.

“What about you, did you enjoy the show?” Betty spoke as she spun to look at him.

He seemed a bit shocked that she was speaking to him “It was great... You were great!” he responded with a bit of a stutter.

Betty couldn't help but smile. “I'm Elizabeth Cooper but everybody calls me Betty" she extended her hand.

He took it. “Jughead” he took a brief pause “Jones”  
Betty had a questioning face as she processed the name Jughead. He seemed to notice and added “It's a nickname, trust me you don't want to know the real thing.”

That had her laughing “One day maybe you'll feel comfortable enough to let me in on that little secret.” she said coyly.

She watched Jughead smile. It was an infectious smile and it crept right up to his eyes, which she noticed are incedibly blue. Calming like the ocean she thought.

“Most of our customers are regulars but I haven't seen you here before, what brings you in?” Betty asked as she collected her thoughts.

It took Jughead a moment to respond.  
“Honestly, I was looking to alcohol for a distraction"  
Betty looked at him. Curious as to what he would need a distraction from.

“I found something better" he continued, wearing the same intense stare that he had when she was on stage.

Betty took a drink of her vodka cranberry and allowed the burning in her throat to calm her. She had just met Jughead and already he had awakened the butterflies in her stomach. Butterflies that had been dormant for far longer then she would like to admit.

\--  
Jughead got a little nervous when she didn't respond right away. He decided to pull the conversation back a little.

“Your an incredible dancer, did you train anywhere?”  
She turned back to him “My mom forced me into classes throughout most of my middle and high school career. Betty took a breath. “I hated it back then but it came in handy when I needed to get a job here in order to pay off my student loans and rent. Now I find dancing to be rather therapeutic”. She finished with a small smile.

For a moment Jughead got lost in her emerald green eyes. He quickly shook himself out of it.

“That's how I feel about writing" he offered up.

“Your a writer?”

The joy in her voice just made her that much cuter. “I'm trying to be. I sent my first novel in for review earlier this month.” he could hear the nerves in his voice and hoped that she couldn't.

“That's amazing, can I ask what it's about?” she said  
Jughead smiled at her “I’m not comfortable sharing that secret just yet either.” he replied mimicking her words from earlier.

Betty looked at him with determination in her eyes. “I’ll get you talking, sooner rather then later.”

Jughead could not argue with that statement as he realized that he, himself was already starting to feel comfortable with her. More then he thought was normal for two people who had just met. He had a feeling Betty Cooper might very well become his home away from home here in New York.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote another chapter... finally!!

Betty entered her quint little apartment close to 3am completely sober but still unable to wipe the girlish grin off her face. She hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Her and Jughead had spent hours at the bar talking and getting to know each other. Although he was still a bit of a mystery as he seemed to have very little interest in talking about himself and showed more attention to learning all there was to learn about her. 

This was a quality she could admire in a man but still she intended to break down his walls one way or another. She wasn't convinced it was because he was shy, she figured he was probably just one of those people that kept there hearts to themselves. She hoped that one day he would reveal his heart to her.

Was she crazy for thinking that way about a man she had just met only hours ago? She didn't know but as she settled back into her sofa, finally releaving her feet of those darn pesky heels she couldn't help but recount the events of the night or rather the early morning.

It seemed that they had talked about everything. She shared stories of her fairly simple life growing up in New York with her older sister Polly who had always been her saving grace and voice of reason when things between her and her overbearing mother Alice Cooper would get tense.

Betty and her mother were just two extremely strong willed women who rarely saw eye to eye, causing them to butt heads more often then she liked to admit. Her father Hal had finally decided to divorce her mother when Betty was sixteen. Nobody was shocked, not even Alice. They both knew that neither of them were happy in the relationship anymore and they hadn't been for a while.

It was determined by her parents, much to Betty’s chagrin that it was best for she and Polly to stay living with Alice. Making it so that Betty barely got to see her father and had to continue living with her mother.  
Betty had been accepted to NYU and could not wait to get out of the house. After Polly had left the year prior to attend school in LA things with her mother had only gotten worse. So of course Betty had opted to live in the dorms much to Alice's dismay. She claimed it was foolish to spend the money when they only lived a few short blocks from the campus. Betty saw her mothers side of the argument but simply could not bring herself to care as she desperately needed a break and she also wanted the full college experience. 

When Betty met her roommate Veronica lodge. The dancer with midnight black hair that Betty shared a stage with almost every night and who had quickly become her best friend. She could not be more grateful for the decision she had made.

Betty herself had studied journalism. Hence why she had been so excited to hear that Jughead was a writer.  
“When I'm not dancing, I write a small column for a magazine. It's nothing fancy but I enjoy it" she had spoken softly.

“Well it looks like we have something in common" Jughead took a deep breath and continued “although I didn't go to college for it and I am now feeling like I should track down the copy of my book I sent to that publisher and promptly burn it, Farenheit 451 style.” He finished and Betty couldn't help but giggle at his reference of one of the greats.

She also didn't stop herself when she felt the need to place her hand on his, in a comforting gesture as it lay gently on the edge of the bar. She smiled to herself as she relived the instant euphoric shock wave that had started in her hand and continued throughout her entire body. By the look on Jugheads face she could swear he had felt it too.

She had looked up into his blue eyes and assured him that his book was probably going to be the next Great Gatsby. To which he had laughed incredulously.  
“Although I would be better able to judge it’s quality if I had my very own hard copy.” Betty had said with a wink.

Jughead had shook his head even as a smile made itself a home on his beautiful features. She had taken that moment to notice the two little freckles on his left cheek and the one black curl that seemed to remain out of place as it hung low on his forehead. Sticking out of the well warn crown beanie atop his head.  
With the way he looked and the way he was making her feel like an innocent high school girl again, she knew she was in trouble and she couldn't help but notice that there hands were still touching on the bar.

The rest of the night was a blur of laughter and dorment stories told by both parties. As the bar began to clear out they had abandoned there drinks and opted for coffee and water respectively. Which Betty had been happy about as she had decided early on that she did not want to forget anything about this evening.  
Kevin had joined in on the conversation briefly. Sharing with Jughead some rather embarrasing stories of her when they were just barely out of diapers. 

She had been friends with Kevin pretty much her whole life and was rather happy when Mr. Lodge, Veronica's father and owner of La Bonne Nuit had hired Kevin on as a bar tender.

It made her feel all the more safer having two people she knew and trusted surrounding her. She had grown to love the club but in the beginning it was quite scary for her, having never been in an environment like this before. Her mother had waisted no time in hassling her about it. “I didn't pay years of dance class fees for you to throw away all that hard work at a strip club.” her mother had shouted.

It wasn't exactly a strip club and Betty needed the money having found herself strapped for cash going into her senior year. So when Veronica had asked her father to provide Betty with a job and Hiram Lodge had said yes without even so much as an interview. She figured that had something to do with her background in dance but either way Betty wasn't about to turn the opportunity down.

Now here she was enjoying the comfort of her own couch in her own apartment. She was now financially stable, happy by most accounts and after the events of tonight, she predicted that her life may have just gotten a little better.

After a having taken a shower and dressing in her normal night attire of shorts and a tank top, Betty found herself laying in bed falling asleep dreaming of mesmerizingly blue eyes and the man who adorned them. A man that if she had any say, she intended to make a permanent part of her life.

\--  
Jughead woke up the next morning feeling well rested despite having gotten back to his place no earlier then three in the morning. He had layed on the bed and promptly passed out.

He was able to sleep in seeing as he had no job to be at today. It was a Friday and normally he would wake up at seven and rush to be at work by eight but not today.

Jughead looked at the clock on his bedside table that read 9:20am. He furrowed his brow, briefly wondering what he was going to do today besides look in the local papers for job ads. How ironic he thought to himself.

His sober confusion melted away quickly and he couldn't help but grin as a flurry of memories from last night made there way to the forefront of his mind.  
He had spent the remaining half of a pretty shitty day in an easy flowing dialogue with a gorgeous blond dancer that he was sure by all means was way out of his league.

He would be damned if he let that realization stop him though. He moved suddenly, reaching for his phone. Having exchanged numbers with Betty early this morning as they parted ways. He pulled up her number and shot her a text.

As he hit send he wondered if it was a bit soon to be contacting her but it seemed to Jughead that his hormones were going to win the battle they were currently having with his brain.

Having sent her a simple ‘Good Morning’ with a smiley face, he wasn't expecting to get a response back quickly. As he wasn't exactly imagining her waiting by the phone to hear from the guy who was still practically a stranger to her. 

Although he couldn't deny that he was picturing her. “No” he whispered to himself as he shook away the rather impure thoughts he was having and hastily got up and threw himself in the shower.

After a rather icy cold shower, Jughead got dressed for the day in a pair of khakis and a burgandy t-shirt. He placed his childhood beanie that he never went anywhere withough onto his head and sat back down on his bed. Grabbing his phone, Jughead saw that Betty had replied.

Betty: Good morning :) Did you sleep well?  
He cursed himself a little as he saw that her text came through rather quickly after his. Hating that he had made her wait. He quickly sent another message.  
Jughead: Really well actually. I had dreams of a ethral blond dancing in my head. Making sleep all the more welcoming. ;)

Betty: *blush* Tell me about it, my dreams were haunted by a pair of blue eyes that I admittedly never want to stop looking at me.

Jughead smiled at that.

Jughead: They never will if I have anything to say about it.

It took a moment for Betty to respond and he worried that he was being a little too forward but she had started it. Actually on second thought maybe he had. He didn't know why but he found it so easy to converse with her. It was as if they had known each other for years. His phone dinged again.

Betty: :) What are your plans for today?

Jughead: Not much. You?

Betty: I have performance rehearsal most of the day. The Friday night crowd is normally pretty big. We need to make sure we have all our ducks in a row.

God, she was cute. He thought as his next text came out with no hesitation. 

Jughead: Expect me to be one of the many in the crowd tonight.

Betty: Can't wait!

Jughead's face was starting to hurt from all the smiling he had been doing in the last 24 hours.

\--  
Betty sat at her vanity, strapping on the heels she would have to dance in tonight. She honestly hated them and preferred the performances without them. On fridays though they always wore heels.

She was still reeling from last night and the texts she had received from Jughead earlier had only heightened her want to see him again. He said he would be there tonight but she honestly didn't know if she could wait that long.

Betty picked up her phone typing out another message.  
Betty: No obligation but would you want to stop by the club for lunch around 1? Sandwiches are on the boss man.

Why was she so eager? She bit her lip in nervousness as she waited for his reply.

Jughead: That sounds perfect. If you don't think anyone would mind.

Betty: They won't. We always have a ton of left overs anyway.

Jughead: Can't wait! ;)

She chuckled, he seemed to always be repeating her words back to her.

Betty set her phone down, stood up and headed out to the stage.  
\--  
Jughead enjoyed a nice home cooked breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee while he perused the job ads, coming up empty handed. 

Just as he had been finishing up his cup of coffee Jughead had received a lunch invitation from Betty which succeeded in keeping that stupid boyish grin on his face.

Shortly after he remembered he still needed to retrieve the small amount of personal items still residing on his desk at the journel. He put on some shoes and headed out.

It was now promptly one o'clock and Jughead was embarrassingly giddy to see Betty again as he walked into La Bonne Nuit.

The club looked much different in the daylight. There was no smoke in the air. The bar was crowded with glasses laid out to dry. Sound and lighting equipment was scattered haphazardly along the floor. The one thing that remained the same from the night before was the loud music that blasted from the overhead speakers as the women from last night along with a few more practiced there routine.

When Jughead spotted Betty, she wore a cut off tank top and a pair of spanx with heels a mile high and she was wrapped around one of the poles. Jughead immediately wished he was that pole and just as quickly ordered himself to snap out of it. He watched the remainder of the performance from where he stood off to the side. His eyes not moving from there position on Betty.

When the song was over a rather tall well built man in a suit whistled and clapped before calling for a 30 minute lunch break. Jughead straightened up as he watched Betty running towards him, well running about as well as one could in those heels that seemed to highlight her already long legs. He decided then that Betty's legs might very well be the death of him and Jughead couldn't even bring himself to be upset about it.

“You made it" she spoke as she stopped right in front of him.

Jughead looked down at her with a bit of pride at the fact that even in those outragiously high heels he was still taller then her by a couple inches.

He couldn't hide the scepticism on his face as he said “Why wouldn't I?”

“Well after I invited you I realized you probably have a job or something that you need to be at right now.” She paused, clearly still trying to catch her breath from the dance. “I half expected to pick up my phone and see a cancellation message from you but I hadn't really gotten a chance to look.” she finished.

“Nope. Your stuck with me, considering I lost my day job yesterday.” Jughead responded with a grin that did a pretty good job of hiding the fact that losing his job, a job he rather enjoyed had stung quite a bit. It had led him to meeting Betty though so he couldn't be too upset. Although finding a new source of income was definitely a priority at the moment. 

“Oh Juggie, I'm sorry. You never mentioned it last night.”

He tried Not to focus too heavily on the adorable nickname she had just called him, which suprisingly when said by her was not nearly as cringey as one would think it would be.

“It's not exactly first meeting material.” he offered.  
“oh, and my overbearing mother and your jail bird father are? Betty joked. Causing them both to break out in laughter.

The laughter dissipated quickly and she asked if he was hungry.

“I'm always hungry.” Jughead spoke the truth.

She then smiled and grabbed his hand. Pulling him towards the crowd that gathered around a small round table adorned with a platter of sandwiches. He was a little nervous considering he had no real reason to be there, but Betty made sure to introduce him to everyone.

There was of course Kevin who Jughead shared a brief bro hug with and then he was being introduced to Kevin's husband Joaquin who was apparantly a bouncer at the club.

The inroductions continued with a few more of the bouncers, several gentlemen from the lighting and sound crew, and a few of the dancers. Jughead held a sandwich in his hand, munching on it in between introductions. All the while never letting go of Betty's hand. The one she so graciously dragged him along with.

They finally came across the red headed dancer who sat in a chair holding the woman with purple streaks in her hair rather tightly in her lap.

“Jughead this is Cheryl and Toni” Betty stated as she pointed each one of them out.

“Girls, this us Jughead.”

Cheryl seemed to wince at his name but Jughead didn't take offence considering it happened pretty often.

Then there was Josie. Another one of the dancers who wore a pair of cheetah print cat ears atop her head. Betty embelished her introduction with great props to her musical talent.

And lastly Betty introduced him to the girl with similarly Raven black hair as himself, which from the previous nights conversations with Betty he knew was Veronica.

“Nice to meet you Jughead. You seem to have my girl B smiling up a storm. I better not see that change or I'll put your nuts in a vice so quickly your head will spin, understood?”

“RONNIE!” Betty quietly yelled.

Jughead bit back a smile and looked veronica in the eye. “Dooley Noted".

Veronica nodded with approval and then walked away.  
Jughead watched as Betty turned to him. “Sorry about Ronnie she can be... Intense.”

“It's ok, I get it. She just wants to protect her friend.” Jughead responded with a slight smile. Betty shrugged and looked around the room.

“Hey. So does no one mind that I don't actually work here?” Jughead asked.

That had her looking at him again. “Actually that reminds me I need to speak with Ronnie about something really quick. Will you be ok here?”

Jughead appreciated the concern. “Of course.”

I'll be right back." As she walked away, Betty finally let go of his hand and Jughead instantly missed the warmth of it in his.

He settled into and empty seat next to Kevin and Joaquin and for the first he was finding it rather easy for him to fit in.

It was a short while later that Betty returned, followed by Veronica and the man in the suit from earlier who he could only assume was Hiram Lodge, Veronica's father and owner of the very club he was standing in.

Jughead rose from his seat to meet them halfway.  
“You must be Jughead? Interesting name.” the man spoke while offering his hand.

Jughead took it “Yes Sir, Hiram I Presume.”

Hiram was intimidating, that fact was non-negotiable. They shook hands, nodded at one another and then Hiram got right down to business. “My daughter says your in need of a job"

Jughead looked briefly at Betty and then towards Veronica, settling his gaze once again on Hiram.  
“That's correct, Sir" Jughead responded with apprehension in his voice.

Hiram's deep voice rang out again. “Well I lost a bartender a few days back, would you be interested?”  
Jughead was a bit taken aback by the Job offer and knew it was definitly being offered out of pity but with rent coming up soon he couldn't afford to have his pride get in the way.

“Yes Sir, I would be, but are you sure? You don't need any references...” Jughead trailed off.

“I learned a long time ago son, that in this business you have to learn to trust the instincts of your dancers, otherwise how can you expect them to feel safe. If Betty says your a good egg and you even have Ronnie's stamp of approval, what other information could I possibly need?” 

Jughead nodded and with another hand shake the deal was done. You'll work tonight?” Hiram said as he backed away.

With a nod Jughead answered his question and observed as the now slightly less intimidating Hiram Lodge turned to walk back to his office.

He didn't know if it was the elation of once again having being employed or what but Jughead felt comfortable enough to wrap his arm around Betty's waist, pulling her into his side.  
“Was this your doing?”

“Technically it was Ronnie's doing, I just made a suggestion.” Betty responded , locking eyes with him and draping her arm over his shoulder.

After a long moment Jughead pulled his eyes away from Betty's beautiful green ones and turned towards Veronica with a warm “Thank you.”

“No problem" Veronica gave a small shrug and waved her hand as she left them in there rather intimate embrace.

Jughead turned to Betty again, feeling the sense of calm that seemed to flow through her body and into his.

\--  
That evening as Betty performed she found that she was now the one that couldn't take her eyes off Jughead. Watching as he served drinks alongside Kevin behind the bar.

Jughead had seemed so grateful when she had helped him get the job that afternoon. She was glad she was able to help but if Betty was being honest she had done it for him just as much as she had done it for herself. She wanted him in her life and this was an easy way to accomplish that.

Her entire body had vibrated when he had wrapped his arm around her waist earlier in the day. His thumb rubbing slow, soothing circles on the exposed skin of her hip. She didn't expect him to do something like that so soon but it conveyed a message of trust and longing. 

Betty found it odd that in just under 48 hours she had seemed to form a deep rooted bond with Jughead, one that she didn't see fading anytime soon.

At that thought a smile brighter then the spotlights casted on her, had spread across her face.


End file.
